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540437

registered interest
date	19/07/2016
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Jobcentre Plus: Training
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that Jobcentre staff and Jobcentre Plus advisers understand fully, and respond effectively to, mental health problems.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1317
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2016 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions supports its staff in developing the skills required to identify and effectively support claimants with mental health conditions. A number of learning products such as ‘Introduction to Working with People with a Mental Health Condition’ and ‘Supporting Customers with a Vulnerability’ have been specifically developed to build capability for Jobcentre staff. Jobcentre staff also promote “Disability Confident” which is an initiative that includes working with employers to show that employing disabled people, including those with mental health conditions, is good for the individual, business and society.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 28/07/2016 14:02:10 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

540438

registered interest
date	19/07/2016
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Welfare Assistance Schemes
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of England is covered by Local Welfare Assistance Schemes; and what assessment they have made of whether those schemes have the necessary resources to make known the emergency financial support that is available to benefit claimants suffering from delays or other problems connected with Universal Credit.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/08/2016 answer text <p>From April 2013, non-ring fenced funding was passed to local authorities in England and to the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales, who all now administer Welfare Assistance Schemes on a devolved and localised basis. How those local authorities administer this support is for them to decide and outside of my Department’s remit.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014 the Department undertook a review of this change and confirmed that local authorities were delivering targeted support more effectively than was the case with the previous provision under the Social Fund. This confirmed the Government’s wider view that local authorities are best placed to deliver help and support at a local level, ensuring effective provision for those who need it most, and coherent links with wider social care.</p><p> </p><p>Further support is available from Universal Credit and Universal Support for claimants who are in financial difficulty or who are awaiting a Universal Credit payment. This includes advance payments, Alternative Payment Arrangements (more frequent payments, split payments within a household and the payment of rent direct to landlords) and Personal Budgeting support.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 02/08/2016 13:16:55 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

540439

registered interest
date	19/07/2016
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in reforming benefit sanctions and in preventing hardship to children and other dependent family members.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1319
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/07/2016 answer text <p>We keep the operation of the sanctions processes under constant review to ensure they continue to function effectively and fairly, to promote positive behaviours. Where we identify an issue, we act to put it right.</p><p>Following the recommendations from the Oakley Review and the subsequent report ‘Benefit sanctions policy beyond the Oakley Review’ by the Work and Pensions Select Committee, we have made a number of improvements to the Jobseekers’ Allowance (JSA) and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) sanction systems, particularly around communications to claimants and safeguarding measures for those who maybe vulnerable.</p><p>We are now focussing our efforts on continuing with the current improvements in JSA and ESA, to ensure that all the agreed recommendations and improvements can continue to be delivered in Universal Credit.</p><p>We also have a well-established system of hardship payments, available as a safeguard if a claimant demonstrates that they cannot meet their immediate and most essential needs, including accommodation, heating, food and hygiene, as a result of their sanction.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 28/07/2016 14:09:59 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

426910

registered interest
date	09/11/2015
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Food Poverty and Fuel Poverty
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are consulting (1) Barnardos, (2) Save the Children, (3) Oxfam, (4) Citizens UK, (5) the Trussell Trust, (6) Magic Breakfast, (7) FareShare, (8) FoodCycle, (9) Baby Basics, (10) The Children’s Society, and (11) any other organisations, about food and fuel poverty and the relationship between benefit sanctions and food and fuel poverty; and if not, why not.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL3397
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2015 answer text <p>The Department for Work and Pensions constantly engages with a wide range of stakeholders, interested parties and other organisations across a wide range of issues that affect those receiving benefits.</p><br /><p>The All-Party Parliamentary Inquiry into Hunger, and the Church report ‘Time to rethink benefit sanctions’, amongst others, all recognise that the reasons that people use food banks are complex and overlapping. There is no robust evidence that links sanctions and food bank use.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 23/11/2015 15:08:08 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

417031

registered interest
date	07/09/2015
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances, if any, they impose benefit sanctions on persons lacking literacy, numeracy and computer skills, or those with language, communication or mental health problems; and if sanctions are imposed on such groups whether they plan to discontinue them.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The decision to temporarily halt a jobseeker’s benefit payment is always thoroughly considered and is not something we do lightly.</p><p> </p><p>It is a consequence of a jobseeker not meeting the conditions attached to receiving their benefits without good reason.</p><p> </p><p>Jobseekers are only ever asked to meet reasonable requirements, taking into account their circumstances and capability. The requirements and consequences are clearly communicated with them throughout their claim and set out in their Claimant Commitment.</p><p> </p><p>The vast majority of jobseekers fulfil their requirements and do not receive a sanction.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 15/09/2015 15:01:53 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

417032

registered interest
date	07/09/2015
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration, if any, they have given to imposing community service, instead of benefit sanctions, on benefits claimants who wilfully fail to comply with the rules.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1952
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 13 July 2015 to Question UIN HL1119 when I wrote, “there are no current plans to replace benefit sanctions with community service.”</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 15/09/2015 11:24:09 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

417033

registered interest
date	07/09/2015
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to introduce a warning system to provide benefit claimants with an opportunity to explain any non-compliance before sanctions are imposed.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1953
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>This is already an established part of the process. All claimants are informed of the responsibilities they must fulfil in order to receive benefit, and the consequences of failing to comply. This is done in discussions with work coaches and through the Claimant Commitment.</p><p> </p><p>Where it appears a claimant has failed to comply with a particular requirement and the case is being referred to a decision maker, the claimant is asked to provide information they wish to be taken into account, including their reasons for non-compliance, before the imposition of a sanction.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Anyone who disagrees with a sanction has the right to appeal.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 17/09/2015 14:36:08 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

417034

registered interest
date	07/09/2015
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children there were in families subject to benefit sanctions during the most recent period for which figures are available; and whether that number is rising, falling, or static.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1954
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The information as requested is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 14/09/2015 14:11:23 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

417035

registered interest
date	07/09/2015
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Jobcentre Plus: Training
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they issue to Jobcentre Plus branches about treating claimants as innocent and deserving unless clearly shown not to be so; and whether they have any plans to amend any such guidance.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1955
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Legislation sets clear entitlement provisions which are used to ensure that benefit is paid correctly to those who claim it. We emphasise in our learning and development packages and the DWP customer charter, that all claimants are treated fairly and with respect. These standards are outlined and published in the DWP Customer Charter on GOV.UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 17/09/2015 11:21:34 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton

417036

registered interest
date	07/09/2015
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: Disqualification
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have responded to the report <i>Time to Rethink Benefit Sanctions</i> published in March by five British churches; if so, what is their assessment of that report; and if not, whether they intend to respond, and when.
tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
uin	HL1956
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Department has not responded to this report. However we are currently considering the contents of the Work and Pensions Select Committee report and will be providing a government response shortly.</p> answering member printed Lord Freud question first answered 14/09/2015 14:13:08 answering member 3893 label Biography information for Lord Freud
tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton